Armchair



Feb. 28, 1961 R. HAALAND 2,973,026

/ ARMCHAIR Filed July 15, 195 2 Sheets$heet 1 'A RTQIE R. HAALAND Feb.28, 1961 ARMCHAIR I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1958 FIG].

vii-hid t ate 2,973,026 ARMCHAIR Roald Haaland, Oslo, Norway, assignorto Arnestad Bruk, Oslo, Norway, a firm Filed July 15, 1958, Ser. No.748,684

Claims priority, application Norway July 15, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 155-77)The present invention relates to an armchair consisting of a continuousseat and back unit suspended on a frame resting on the floor, in whichthe seat and back unit, besides being fixable in a number of positionsrelatively to the supporting frame, can also be released in order to beput into a limited rocking motion.

From earlier inventions both adjustable armchairs, in which the sittingangle can be varied, and rocking chairs are known, separately and incombination, but these chairs have usually been fitted with complicatedadjusting mechanisms, and as regards the rocking chairs have beenfurnished with a large platform for the rocking path, in which children,for example, are apt to get fingers or toes trapped, and above all ithas been impossible as a whole to furnish these chairs with asatisfactory upholstering and thereby attain the result that they becomea part of the interior decoration as ordinary chairs, free from anydisfiguring feature.

A special difiiculty with the rocking chairs has usually been torestrict the maximum length of swing and at the same time procure asatisfactory smoothness in the toand-fro movement. Chairs of this typehave usually been fitted with rockers, which were kept in their courseby helical springs placed in pairs in the middle of the course, andthese springs were in the course of the rocking movement exposed totorsion, first to the one side and then to the other. Moreover thesesprings had to he still? and thereby exerted a considerable resistanceto the rocking movement.

It is the object of the present invention to eliminate theabove-mentioned drawbacks and obtain a chair of normal appearance, inwhich the seat and back unit can be fixed in various positionsrelatively to the supporting frame by the sitter by means of an easilyoperated and accessible adjusting mechanism, which can also, as desired,release the seat and back unit in such manner that this can be put intoa restricted rocking motion, whereby the chair is at the same timeconverted into a rocking chair.

It is, further, an object of the invention to obtain a smooth andpleasant to-and-fro movement during the rocking, when the chair is usedas a rocking chair, with a smooth and frictionless change of rockingdirection, with maximum swing.

The chair pursuant to the invention is in essential respectscharacterized by the fact that the swivelling seat and back unit isjoined to the supporting frame by swivel hinges, fitted to a stretcheron the supporting frame, and springs, while a locking device holds theseat and back unit in a number of sitting positions in the supportingframe, and by release allows the chair to be put into a restrictedrocking movement.

Further, the chair is distinguished by the fact that the springconnection between supporting frame and chair seat consists of helicalsprings, the attachment of which to the lower side of the chair seat isadjustably located in a bracket for regulation of the spriugs arm ofmoment.

A further feature of the chair pursuant to the invention is that thelocking device consists of a toothed segment 2,973,026 Patented Feb. 28,196i ice fastened to the lower side of the chair seat in cooperationwith a bar pivotally journalled in a bracket in the support ing frame,and provided with an arm with handle for the adjustment, and that thetops of the teeth and the edge of the bar are given such a shape thatthe locking is facilitated by the position of the seat and back unitbeing automatically corrected when the bar is pressed against thetoothed segment.

These and other features of the invention will appear from the followingdescription, and by reference to the attached drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows the chair seen from the side,

Fig. 2 shows the chair seen from the front,

Fig. 3 shows the chair seen from below,

Figs. 4 and 4a show on enlarged scale a detail of the spring attachment,

Fig. 5 shows the chair seen in perspective,

Fig. 6 shows a detail. of the toothed segment, and

Fig. 7 shows the same as seen from the side.

Number 1 denotes the seat and 2 the back of the chair, which jointlyform a rigid unit furnished with such upholstering as may be foundserviceable. Number 3 denotes the supporting frame, which may beexecuted in various ways, but preferably with arm-rests 3'.

The two side-pieces of the supporting frame, which carry the arm-rests3', are joined-to one another'by crossbars. In the specimen shown thereare three of these numbered 14, 15 and 16. The rearmost crossbar 16 mustbe located somewhat lower than the others, so as not to restrict themaximum oscillation of the chair. The middle crossbar 14 serves as thefirst attachment for two swivel hinges 4 of the chair, the secondattachment being formed by a bar or the like underneath the chair seatll These swivel hinges 4 serve as the horizontal turning axis of thechair. Further, between the lower side of the seat 1 and the supportingframe 3 there are two helical springs 5, one on each side and justbehind the front edge of the frame 3.

The rocking of the chair is brought about by the sitter alternatelypressing the chair backwards (leaning on the arm-rests) and allowing itto swing forwards again, as the springs 5 will draw down the front edgeof the seat again. In order to keep this rocking movement smooth andpleasant the resistance to the movement should be small except when theseat and back approach the rearmost extreme position, where it mustincrease quickly in order to give a smooth and frictionless change ofdirection, also at maximum oscillation. This can be attained by locatingthe fixed point of the springs 5 in the seat 1 nearer to the turningaxis than the attachment point on the supporting frame 3.

By the fact that the attachment point on the frame is in addition madeadjustable this elfect can also to some extent be made regulative, itbeing possible to adjust in advance the spring force and itsprogression. This adjustment is effected then by means of a nut 12 in aslot 13 in the bracket 11. The springs 5 are then fastened at its otherends to a fixed bracket 16 on the foremost crossbar 15 of the supportingframe 3.

The seat part is, further, provided on its lower side with a descendingtoothed segment 6 screwed firmly to the seat near the edge of this andimmediately behind the foremost crossbar 15 of the frame 3. Thiscrossbar should be broad, so that it conceals both the toothed segment 6and the springs 5. Between this crossbar and the crossbar 14- there is abracket 7 provided with an opening for the descending toothed segment 5and with guides and a pivot for a catch 8. Said catch is in additionprovided with an arm 9 with handle so located in the chassis of thesupporting frame that it can easily be reached by the hand of thesitter. When this arm is 3 pressed backwards the catch 8 will enmeshwith the toothed segment 6, and the heat and back unit is then looked inthe desired sitting position. When the arm 9 is moved forwards, the seatand back unit are again rcl eased and can rock or, if desired, be lockedin some other sitting position.

The lowest tooth on the toothed segment 6 is prolonged, as shown in Fig.6 and will be unable to reach through the opening in the bracket 7 orpast the catch 8, whereby the maximum oscillation of the chair byrocking is restricted. Further, the toothed segment is given a radius ofcurvature corresponding to the turning axis of the chair, so that itshall always have the same position relatively to the catch 8.

I claim:

1. A rockable chair of relatively open appearance and configurationcomprising, in combination, an exposed open frame supported on thefloor, a seat having a front half and a rear half rigidly connected to aback member to form a rigid unit, said seat being of relatively shallowvertical thickness, pivot means defining a pivot axis affixed to therear half of said seat adjacent the general plane thereof and mounted onsaid frame pivotally mounting said unit to said frame for movement fromnontilted to tilted positions, a planar crossbar defining a portion ofand extending across the front of said frame below the front half ofsaid seat, a first spring anchor affixed to the backside of saidcrossbar near each end thereof, second spring anchors afiixed to saidseat front half vertically disposed above said first anchors, a springinterposed between each of said first anchors and the second anchordisposed thereabove, said first anchors being further from the axis ofsaid pivot means than said second anchors whereby the included angledefined by a spring and a line passing through the spring connection tothe associated second anchor perpendicularly intersecting the pivot axisis obtuse when said unit is in the nontilted position, said 4 firstanchors being so located whereby said included angle approaches as saidunit is increasingly tilted, a bracket afiixed to said frame adjacentthe underside of said seat intermediate said crossbar and said pivotaxis, a slot defined in said bracket, a toothed locking segment mountedon the underside of said seat extending downwardly through said slot, adog operatively associated with an operating handle pivotally mounted onsaid bracket for selective locking engagement with the teeth of saidsegment, deviated surfaces defined on the ends of the teeth of saidsegment facilitating engagement of the dog with said teeth, said planarcrossbar substantially hiding said first anchors, springs, bracket andlocking segment from View.

2. In a rockable chair as in claim 1 wherein the lowermost of the teethof said segment is of greater length than the other teeth of saidsegment whereby said lowermost tooth engages the underside of saidbracket to limit pivoting of said unit with respect to said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS401,089 Whittlesey Apr. 9, 1884 710,409 Behr Oct. 7, 1902 900,788Simmonds Oct. 13, 1908 1,788,113 Leach Jan. 6, 1931. 2,222,578 WalentaNov. 19, 1940 2,319,700 Miller et al May 18, 1943 2,606,594 CaldemeyerAug. 12, 1952 2,797,737 Burton July 2, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 41,869France Jan. 26, 1933 473,369 Great Britain Oct. 12, 1937 554,929 GreatBritain July 26, 1943 620,810 Great Britain Mar. 30, 1949 694,675 GreatBritain July 22, 1953

